Top ranked players including Lexi Thompson, In Gee Chun, Cristie Kerr, So Yeon Ryu and Stacy Lewis will compete for the top spot this year.

Two major changes to the course include the lengthening of hole 6 by 25 yards and, most notably, the addition of grandstands around the 18th green and on the ninth hole, tournament director Keith Karbo said during a media event Tuesday.

Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

Volvik executives said the South Korean golf ball maker "took off" after last year's LPGA event and they expect sales to triple.

Japanese automaker Infiniti signed on for a one-year sponsorship and will supply 26 courtesy cars for LPGA players and executives during their stay. In addition, the automaker is giving away a QX60 luxury crossover for a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, a 180-yard par 3.

Faygo, based in Detroit, will be the official pop of the tournament, with a Friday Faygo Day sponsorship, Karbo said. Other sponsors include Southfield-based Lear Corp., Livonia-based A123 Systems, Ann Arbor Spark, Texas-based Tito's Handmade Vodka and several others.

A major organizer of the tournament is KC Crain, executive vice president and director of corporate operations of Crain Communications Inc., which owns Crain's Detroit Business. His wife, Ashley Crain, serves as the Volvik Championship chairwoman. She was captain of the golf team at Old Dominion University, has written for Golfweek and was a competitor on the Golf Channel show "Highway 18." The LPGA credited the Crains last year for bringing the tournament to Ann Arbor.

Tournament organizers introduced the Valor Cup this year, an LPGA Pro-Am round taking place May 22 at the golf course at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, where female veterans are invited to play alongside tour players. More information can be found on the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency website.

The Memorial Day weekend event will also raise awareness for organizations that benefit military families.

On May 18, the tournament will host an amateur pre-qualifier at Leslie Park in Ann Arbor. The two amateurs who card the lowest scores will receive an exemption into the local qualifier at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, where the top two finishers will join the field at the Volvik Championship.

About 7,000 tickets for the tournament have been sold, Karbo said, about even with last year. About 30,000 tickets were sold for the entire 2016 tournament week.

"We're hoping to eclipse that mark," he said.

Weeklong clubhouse tickets are $120 and weeklong grounds tickets are $60. Individual tickets start at $20. Children 17 years old and younger receive free admission, as do active duty, retired military and veterans. More ticket options are available.

There are 35 LPGA tour events worldwide this year — two of them are in Michigan, Karbo said. The other is the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids.

A full roster of events tied to the tournament is at the tournament website.